24 December 2008

It is a small, unpainted wood house barely large enough to exceed the space of My living room/dining room. A door in front with a tiny fenced balcony; a door to the back left that leads to he remnants of an outhouse, still visible in the scraggly grass.

The house has a peaked roof, in the style of rural buildings of the 30s and 40s. It may be the fifth or sixth incarnation of a house that saw the light of the day in the Great Depression, or earlier, and settled into a land that saw a dirt trail become a dirt road, then a paved country road.

A stone's throw away are dozens of homes, large concrete boxes studded with satellite dishes, an electronic gate breaking the long cement wall that separates them from the rest of the world. The wooden house sits slightly above all of them, possibly in many ways.

For months this house catches the eye for its location, on a slight curve, atop a slight rise, the only building on a narrow stretch of land that dips into a valley. A sign near the gray wood house declares that "26 cuerdas" are for sale. There's more paint on the sign than on the house.

But just after Thanksgiving, when the seasonally-fresh winds of aires navideños start to swirl, the wooden house of daylight becomes a fairy tale cottage of multicolored lights. The house itself is framed by lights, the shiny lines connecting frame to trees to bushes to a distant decoration that leads the eye to a sign now colorfully dark. Even when you know the house is there, you're caught by surprise, a trick of angle and speed and contrast.

I drive almost every day past this house, more than half the time with My son. We are usually talking about sports or school or books or science or history or whatever the heck pops into Our heads, but I always notice the small wooden house on the rise. Now it signals the joy of a season, a joy of giving and sharing that perhaps this house--these people--cannot accommodate most of the year. They can now, they do, and from a humble frame comes a festival of color.

Despite spending most of My Christmases in Puerto Rico, I haven't been comfortable with any of them. I grew up in the States, where Christmas is a one-month deal, quieter, oddly more secular and yet more pious than Our local version. There, the 26th is a massive hush, a finality. Here, the end never seems in sight, the noise is constant, the alcohol is not spice but main course and one month is September and the other is January and they, along with every month in between, are also Christmas.

For years I yearned for My Christmas. It made Me sad, with disappointment swelling every year. Until the day I realized that "My Christmas" was never to be unless I changed. As much as I could, I let go of My Christmas Past and looked to create My Christmas Present.

Yes, pun intended.

I found it in the songs I wanted to hear by playing them Myself, alone. I found it in solitude and quiet moments. I found it searching for gifts, not expecting them. I found it in embracing the joy I felt kinship with and ignoring the excess I wanted no part of. I found a Christmas that wasn't exactly Mine, but was closer to My heart... and happier.

Sharing Christmas with My son hasn't turned out how I expected, but it is in many ways better than I envisioned it. Christmas is indeed for children, for the simple joy and hope they embody. And I have found that simple joy and hope in the lights that dazzle the eye from a home that may lack in size and beauty from what most if Us deem worthy, but is drenched with the warmth and the kindest spirit of Christmas.

22 December 2008

From Mercola.com: (1931:) Cornelius Rhoads, a pathologist from the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, purposely infects human test subjects in Puerto Rico with cancer cells; 13 of them die. Though Rhoads gives a written testimony stating he believes that all Puerto Ricans should be killed, he later goes on to establish the U.S. Army Biological Warfare facilities in Maryland, Utah and Panama, and is named to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, where he begins a series of radiation exposure experiments on American soldiers and civilian hospital patients.

From Wikipedia:When asked about the reasons for the study on Puerto Ricans, Rhoades replied: “The Porto Ricans (sic) are the dirtiest, laziest, most degenerate and thievish race of men ever to inhabit this sphere... I have done my best to further the process of extermination by killing off eight and transplanting cancer into several more... All physicians take delight in the abuse and torture of the unfortunate subjects."

From the same Wikipedia article:Later, Rhoads was given a seat on the United States Atomic Energy Commission. It is reported he performed radiation experiments on human beings there. He was also awarded the U.S. Legion of Merit by the government for his research.

Many people still criticize the lack of action taken against Rhoads for his experiments.

In 2003, controversy arose again as to the letter and the alleged experiments and the AACR Cornelius P. Rhoads Memorial Award would no longer be associated with his name. The award was not presented that year.

From "America Betrayed," by Rhawn Joseph, downloadable as a PDF file:With regard to the people of Puerto Rico, Dr. Rhoads wrote: “What the island needs is not public health work, but a tidal wave or something to totally exterminate the population.” Dr. Rhoads is alleged to have injected hundreds of Puerto Ricans with cancer. Cornelius Rhoads later became a founder and first director of the Memorial Sloan- Kettering Institute, which specializes in research on cancer.

The past is dead and buried, right? Remember: He killed Puerto Ricans and almost certainly other "American soldiers and civilians."

Or is it that the past is prologue? Admitted murderers getting away with it, under "sanction" of broken laws and war, whether they be some Rhoads or a Bush.

Hell if I know.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

P.S. From the same Mercola.com article quoted above: (1963:) Chester M. Southam, who injected Ohio State Prison inmates with live cancer cells in 1952, performs the same procedure on 22 senile, African-American female patients at the Brooklyn Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital in order to watch their immunological response. Southam tells the patients that they are receiving "some cells," but leaves out the fact that they are cancer cells. He claims he doesn't obtain informed consent from the patients because he does not want to frighten them by telling them what he is doing, but he nevertheless temporarily loses his medical license because of it. Ironically, he eventually becomes president of the American Cancer Society.

Seems the formula for success in the cancer-doctor groups is (was?) to kill unsuspecting people and then wait for the accolades and prestige to follow...

19 December 2008

B) The local Department of Education gets slammed for its decades-long incompetence and Our public schools get commandeered by the Federal Department of Education; and

C) Fidel Castro dies, Raúl Castro realizes the shoes he's been trying to fill are about to be bloodied and he hightails to Venezuela, leaving Cuba open to become a "player's market."

(A) is about 80% certain; (B) is about 85% certain and (C) is only about 40% certain (a Jenius can be sure and hedge His bets at the same time), but of the three, (C) is the one that kicks Us to the curb, pees on Our head and walks away cackling.

¿Por qué? Because (C) wipes Puerto Rico off the political and economical map of the U.S. of part of A., where it occupies a region about the same size as Alligator, Mississippi.

Having Our economy go down the toilet is a major problem for Us, but only a small problem for Uncle Sam. He still gets his, while We whine and beg for a few additional crumbs. Immigration? Not a problem. To them, We're a better option than other Hispanics and since We have citizenship, it isn't really "foreigners crashing the shores," right?

Having Our educational (hahahahahadumb) system taken over under the No Child Left Behind (hahahahahahahadumber) crackpot deal would be a major deal for Us, and a minor economic boon for Uncle Sam's business people, who would flood Our schools and communities with products and services in a 21st-century "Americanization" project that would be half patronizing, half greedy and half The Three Stooges. (Yeah, My math is off. So's the educational system.)

But having Cuba open her doors to entrepreneurial power, with the U.S. of part of A. coming in as the lately-bedraggled-but-still-hunky suitor would set the nubile Cuban markets on fire while Our menopausal cranky hag of a market turns purple with rage and envy, most likely remembering when she was nubile and had the attention of the hunky rapist--er, suitor.

In following the math trend of this post, the formula would look like this:

17 December 2008

I got this vía e-mail from Francis, based--I believe--on a Jenius Jots post. I've made minor edits to make it easier to read, but have changed none of the content as presented originally:

Greets,Just an excerpt from a chat I had with a co-worker about all the anti-immigrant sentiment here in the Good Ol' US of A. Keep in mind that Tizz is Caucasian, and was naturally born & bred here in the states; and I'm Puerto Rican.Chat sparked by all the C O L O R F U L comments from this article: Some Mexicans leaving US, planning never to returnInstant Messaging Chat:______________________(2:01:18 PM) Gus: http://www.examiner.com/a-1743912~Some_20Mexicans_20leaving_20US_2C_20planning_20never_20to_20return.htmlExample Comment:Bobby said: "Some Mexicans planning to never return. Schucks. It just tears at me. I guess when it becomes too unbearable I'll go to Mexico and visit them--some year,or maybe never. If it eliminates press two for, and other stupid recorded messages that an American citizen has to endure until the English tape kicks in, I'll be happy. Adios amigos" *SAD, SAD...coming from a nation of European Immigrants.

Gus: Man, is that how MOST United States Citizens feel? Really saddens & sickens me.

Gus: GAWD THIS JUST BLOWS MY NUTS!!!"Examiner Reader said: glad too see it happening. maybe real americans can get the jobs these forein invaders have been taking away from us americans. good luck and good by."

Tizz: Well to show you the level of intelligence look how he spelled "bye"

Tizz: It think it's because they aren't intelligent and it's not being taught in schools. They feel that there shouldn't be an option (assuming of course) for Spanish on phones and what not. However they need to learn to change and adapt because some of their ancestors came from Europe who didn't speak English at all. Schools need to do a better job of educating.

Gus: =')

Tizz: Do I make you proud?

Gus: YEAH

Gus: I'm not from Mexico (obviously) but it still hurts to read that, specially since most peeps assume all Hispanics here in the States are Mexicans, and illegally here, and this is clearly not the case for all Hispanics, including Mexicans.

Tizz: Well, also remember that I was raised in Florida and I was educated, not just by my school but my parents as well. It's not about being tolerant, I hate that word. It's about accepting and enjoying

Gus: But I needed the friendly comfort. It's just terrible, those comments.

Tizz: Yes but keep in mind most of the people who go there are bigots anyway

Tizz: Or just plain dumb

Gus: Right you are sir.*Instant Messaging handles were changed for privacy purposes.______________________ ______________________Tizz could not have put it in better words:"It's not about being tolerant, I hate that word. It's about accepting and enjoying."Thank you for taking the time to read this,-- francis

15 December 2008

Am I the only one who finds it curious that of all the secretary-level nominations Luis "Larva" Fortuño has made so far, there hasn't been one mention of a Secretray of Education?

The local Education department is by far the largest chunk of the government's budget and represents the largest single-agency percentage of employees, key people in not only the bureaucracy, but in every electoral process on this Island.

The scuttlebutt is that The Larva's first two nominees turned down even interviewing for the position. The reasons are fairly obvious: The department is the center of deep controversy, as well as federal fund audits, massive levels of incompetence, excess payroll and steadily-decreasing results. What is less known is that Education's long history of failure is seriously jeapordizing its future, particularly regarding federal funds.

As Puerto Rico slips farther and farther behind in compliance with the (useless-but-the-only-game-in-town) No Child Left Behind program, future federal funds are either slipping out of reach or are now completely out of reach. In other words, Puerto Rico faces a serious education crisis in the coming year... and whoever's at the helm will be the captain of an out-of-control garbage scow heading straight towards an iceberg.

Not exactly the position any self-respecting person wants.

I'll grant that The Larva may have asked the top-qualified people first. But I know that the truly top-qualified candidates will not want to take this job. Simple: there's no upside. There's only multiple and frequent chances to scuff, mar or permanently tarnish a sterling reputation developed over a lifetime.

So who's left? The second-tier candidates, people whose resumés might lack a key element or two in terms of degree or experience, but who will take on the challenge because it gives them a chance to "stretch" that they may have never been able to get. Look here for someone who comes in from the sub-executive ranks of government, the school or district level in Education or comes if rom the outside, more administrator than educator.

And that could be the salvation for what is The Larva's possible stumbling block. By having to look beyond "the obvious," he is forced to find a Secretary who is more manager than teacher, more worker than bootlicker, more results-oriented than politically-motivated. If nothing else, it will at least represent a step up from crass fundraisers and air-headed theorists.

Now let's sit back and see who's nominated. The next thing to watch is whether s/he will get past the Senate's crapfest of a nomination review process: it could turn out to be the very first legislative/executive power test.

12 December 2008

A current senator is in jail on charges of fraud, has been re-elected and though still in jail, the debate right now is whether he should be allowed to swear in as Senator.

You're kidding, right? There's a debate? For the love of dumplings, why?

Yes, I know the basic judicial doctrine of "innocent until proven guilty" applies to everyone--even politicians as stone-headed as Jorge "Il Castrao" Font. But there's another doctrine that applies, or should apply: Leaders need to be held to higher standards.

Obviously, even a plusperfect idiot like Il Castrao can win an election, despite looking as guilty as all get-out. But instead of debating whether the jailbird can or should swear in as a member of the Senate, We should be placing a substitute for Il Castrao on the dais for swear-in and if--if--the jerk is found not guilty by a jury of his superiors, then he can re-occupy the slimy chair he was elected to.

Is this fair to the people who elected Il Castrao, having someone they didn't pick represent them? Is it fair to them to have a fraud and a cheat do so, like the rest of Us have?

Okay, mark Me down for being cynical. If the person you elected--say a senator or a governor--is facing a judicial process, what should happen is that the person resigns their position, with the proviso that if they are not guilty of the charges or the charges are dropped/cleared, then the person can return to their position, if allowable.

The reason Il Castrao was on the ballot in the first place was because he lacked the integrity, dignity and courtesy to resign, as he should have. The second reason is that his party lacked the integrity, dignity and leadership to make him resign. As they should have.

That the debate I'm appalled with is wafting around Us now is because the electorate--My fellow citizens--have the political savvy of dung beetles, slapping votes on subnormal vermin simply because they are affiliated with the insignia the dung beetle prefers. And the reason the debate on whether Il Castrao can swear in, can do so from jail, can do so with a day pass or work pass or replacing a conjugal visit with a chance to hose Our collective dignity is because the party he is embarrassing is too gutless to do the right thing.

Now, as for having all Our Fools in jail, I think We could do that. Hell, I think We should. But you knew that already, didn't you?

In the last few years, psychologists and researchers have been digging up hard data on a question previously left to philosophers: What makes us happy? Researchers like the father-son team Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener, Stanford psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, and ethicist Stephen Post have studied people all over the world to find out how things like money, attitude, culture, memory, health, altruism, and our day-to-day habits affect our well-being. The emerging field of positive psychology is bursting with new findings that suggest your actions can have a significant effect on your happiness and satisfaction with life. Here are 10 scientifically proven strategies for getting happy.

1. Savor Everyday Moments

2. Avoid Comparisons

3. Put Money Low on the List

4. Have Meaningful Goals

5. Take Initiative at Work

6. Make Friends, Treasure Family

7. Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

8. Say Thank You Like You Mean It

9. Get Out and Exercise

10. Give It Away, Give It Away Now!

Seems to Me science is nailing down the wisdom of the ages just about... now.

2) Loyalty without Trust – Loyalty will vanish in the absence of trust.

3) Appreciation without Education – We cannot fully appreciate what we do not fully understand.

4) Wisdom without Experience – True wisdom is the product of many life experiences.

5) Power without Checks and Balances – Unfettered power leads to greed and corruption.

6) Business without Sincerity – Crooked businessmen are prison bound… if they’re lucky.

7) Success without Sacrifice – Success doesn’t find us, we find it.

8) Policy without Justification – Without justification, policy is just another form of tyranny.

9) Happiness without Peace of Mind – A mind at ease is already pleased.

10) Beginnings without Endings – A great, new beginning rises from another beginning’s end.

There's more to the science-happiness article and you can make comments on the "without" post at the site. Have fun. Think about what you've read. And I've given My pen (keyboard) a bit of a rest. Not that it needed one, come to think about it...

A) Stephen Harper came back into power on October 15th of this year, leading a shaky coalition. How the hell did he go from "elected P.M." to "Throw the bum out!" in less than two months?

B) The prorogue--suspension of Parliament--is the first in the history of Canada. Stephen Harper is the head of the Conservative Party. Need I say more?

C) Somewhere I bet the murderous moron in the off-White House is furious thinking "I shoulda rammed that kind of power through Parliament. Er, Congress."

I wish We had that same power, that of calling for a vote of "no confidence" on Our elected leaders. Yes, it would mean that We'd be recalling bum after bum, but at least We'd be involved in the day-to-day governance of Our country rather than being indifferently-rabid fans of some vapid ideological mish-mash.

It would also mean that these Fools would know they are held accountable for their actions and inactions, a concept that seeps through every workspace in the world except the halls of government.

And finally, if We are given the privilege of voting someone into office, We also receive the responsibility of kicking them out when they suck like the proverbial (Herbert) Hoover. To have that responsibility limited to once every two, four or six years is ridiculous, because We have seen how much damage a murderous moron and gutless hyenas can do in less than one.

05 December 2008

In the next few days, I will read My 120th book of 2008, keeping alive a yearly streak of at least 10 books a month that dates back to last century. Not that I actually read 10 books every month, for unlike other years, this year I was behind My pace until early November.

I read that many books because (a) I love to read; (b) Hate to chit-chat, so when in public places, I read and (c) By reading that much, I can take a few chances and try out new things without much stress.

Out of 120 books or so (as many as 147 in 2002), I'll take 20-25 chances a year on books I normally wouldn't bother with, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. The beauty of this system is that more often than not, I discover a whole new world to explore and can then add that section of books to My expanding mental list of "good to read."

And if it turns out that the book was a clunker, no big deal. That's what the rest of My "To Read" library (currently sitting at 97 books just to the left of me as I write) is for: to make up for that.

From what I understand, reading that much puts Me way ahead of the average person in the U.S. of part of A. and even further ahead of the average person in Puerto Rico. That's okay. The pack is for mules, anyway.

________

I am amused, in the most condescending sense of the word, by a local group of bloggers who are pasting their blogs with "awards," apparently handed out by each other, to serve as "recognition" of their work. How very 1996 of you all, when the Web was filled with sites parading dozens of awards in some feeble-minded efffort to provide legitimacy where none existed.

The "awards" don't make up for the fact that many of these bloggers are nothing but posers. One blogger has the temerity to say his blog is about calling out the truth because he's fed up with what he sees (or some smelly crap like that), but he uses an alias and doesn't show who s/he is. How very bold! Give him an(other) award!

Here's the thing: I understand the need for privacy, especially in this day and age of identity theft and spam. But when you talk the talk without walking the walk, you are nothing--nothing--but a hypocrite. And stamping your blogs with empty "awards" reminds Me of the Special Olympics, where every feeble-minded participant gets his or hers.

Unlike them, you utterly lack dignity. And maybe--just maybe--unlike them, you can actually do something about it.

03 December 2008

I find it odd that the U.S. focuses a ton of media attention on the percentages of overweight people in each State, pointing out time and again that states such as Mississippi, Arkansas and Lousiana bring up the rear (so to speak), drawing a cause-effect relationship between low income, poor diet heavily weighed to fast food and junk food and the health issues of being overweight.

But.

Puerto Rico has a lower income per capita than any State. It also has one of the highest percentages of diabetes, a condition clearly linked to excess weight. And Our diet also relies heavily on fast food, junk food and high fat/high sugar meals, which lead Us back to diabetes.

So does the U.S. media focus on this fillip of information? No. We aren't a State. We aren't counted in these statistics. Okay, but what about health costs? We share in those through Medicare and Medicaid. There We're treated as a special case, since the expenditures and the averages are actually weighed in Our favor (more of Us qualify for the coverage and We tend to outlive Our northern neighbors by a few years.)

What does this mean? To Me it means that if the U.S. of part of A. really wanted to do something about the population's health care, it would focus more on prevention and healthier lifestyle by creating the conditions that help guide the process... and use Puerto Rico as the social laboratory.

Yea, you read that right. I'm advocating Us as lab mice.

For one, it's not like We've never been there before.

In second place, Puerto Rico's isolation (it is an Island, you know) and ambiguous status make it a perfect setting for some social engineering aimed at improving health, with no illusory "State's rights" to get in the way. (Note: NO group has a right. None. Only individuals have rights. Learn it, take it to heart and you won't be misled by demagogues.)

Third, a prevention/lifestyle experiment (for that is what it is) would not only be useful as a health-related solution, it would also save money for the U.S. of part of A. Always a good thing when you can help them pocket some cash, right?

But.

Who am I kidding? Let the government set the lifestyle standards of a population in order to help them be healthier? The government? That's like asking a tremulous wino to fix your pacemaker. We don't need more government intrusion in Our lives.

Then again...

Isn't the government largely responsible for the conditions We do have, that lead to low incomes, that encourages the proliferation of fast food and junk food and opts to leave out some 45 million in the U.S. and Puerto Rico from the coverage needed to treat the health issues emerging from the setting? True, it is individual choice, but when survival is at stake, as any person in poverty or near-poverty will attest, individual choices are also a luxury.

So 15 of the 24 charges pending against non-governor Aníbal "Jellyfish" Acevedo have been dropped.

Big. Fat. Hairy. Deal.

Aside from the fact that a Jenius predicted this, the partisan reaction to the news needs to be hauled up short and straightened out:

"(The Jellyfish) is innocent!" -- That's yet to be determined. There are still 9 charges pending and a quick read through them shows they are the heaviest, most serious charges of the original list.

"This proves political persecution!" -- Flummery. What it proves is that the federal investigation has plenty of ammunition, and if there's any political frippery going on, it was pulled off by The Jellyfish in staying at the head of the party.

"(The Jellyfish) could have won the election!" -- Poppycock. You're ignoring his four years of limp-wristed, spineless drifting, his collusion on a crippling sales tax, his force-feeding of a ridiculously-ignored unicameral referendum, Cabinet chaos, the misplaced four years of Sila "Quitter" Calderón and 32 charges levied just before the elections against a member of the rival party who was once a member of your party. The Jellyfish could have won a second term if The Larva had died the day before the election and the voters had suffered from dyslexia.

"The F.B.I. is framing (The Jellyfish)!" -- Pifflegab. There are 3 reasons investigations file so many charges against a person:

1) To intimidate the target and those connected within the case to him or her.

2) To lay the proper groundwork for the main charges, i.e., to cover the less-serious crimes that are part of the major violations.

3) To allow for less negotiation room on the serious charges.

Remember: It only takes one charge for The Jellyfish to go down hard like a gob of spit. If found guilty of fraud, he will spend time in jail. It won't matter an iota if all other 23 charges are tossed away or that 8 of the last 9 are ignored. With that one charge, the government's case against The Jellyfish will be complete.

Heads up time: Expect a bundle of charges to be dropped in the case of Jorge "Il Castrao" De Castro, for unlike The Jellyfish, Il Castrao is not the ultimate target of the government's investigation. Putting away a numbskull like Il Castrao would have taken far less than what the evidence list detailed, and no matter what Il Castrao and his weasel-skank followers think, he isn't that big a fish to take down. The bigger fish are being tracked--and here's the kicker--in both parties.

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About Me

Gil C. Schmidt was born. Lucky for him and some 416 people, many of who don't seem to know it. Lives in Puerto Rico, which is convenient because he also works from there. Gil writes about dozens of real things (with relish) and dozens of imaginary things (like phantasmagoric pickles), in separate forums. Author of several books and a son, Gil gets in trouble when he's bored. Please head to the egress now.

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